The Oath of Alexander the Great
I wish all of you, now that the wars are coming to an end, to live happily in peace.
All mortals from now on shall live like one people, united, and peacefully working towards
a common prosperity. You should regard the whole world as your country, a country where
the best govern, with common laws, and no racial distinctions. I do not separate people,
as many narrow-minded others do, into Greeks and barbarians. I am not interested in the
origin or race of citizens, I only distinguish them on the basis of their virtue. For me,
each Foreigner is a Greek, and each bad Greek is a barbarian. If ever there appear
differences among you, you must not resolve them by taking to arms; you should resolve
them in peace. If need be, I shall act as your negotiator.
You must not think of God as an authoritarian ruler, but you should consider him a
common father, so that your conduct resembles the uniform behaviour of brothers who belong
to the same family.
For my part, I consider all, whether they be white or black, equal.
And I would like you to be not only subject to my Commonwealth, but also participants and
partners. You should regard the Oath we have taken tonight as a Symbol of Love.
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